


that which is so divine

by fangirls5ever



Category: Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Byleth is a Good Professor, F/M, Fluff, Golden Deer Route, Multichapter, No spoilers so far, Tiny bits of Angst, curious claude is curious, maybe more of a character study?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 09:55:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20469128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirls5ever/pseuds/fangirls5ever
Summary: There is something greater to this woman than even her prowess with the sword, than the spells she casts with nimble fingers.And Claude, for all his curiosity, must find out what.----In which Claude investigates the Divine Pulses, gains several new titles, and falls in love, all in that order.





	1. Chapter 1

Claude Von Riegan has been called many things in his life. Trickster, by his mother and his classmates when they’re feeling especially good-natured; cheat, by Hilda or whatever poor fool is unfortunate enough to play against him in cards; conman, by Edelgard when she catches him trying to lure Black Eagle students just a step closer to the Golden Deer classroom and _oh, it just happens to be chock full of all your favorite things. Wouldn’t it be a shame if you were to sign here on the dotted line to get all these things free just by joining the Golden Deer?_; and bastard, by any Leicester nobles bold enough to whisper it within his hearing.__

_ _

_ _Claude Von Riegan has been called many things in his life, and few of them good—what flattery he gains, he doubts, and what honeyed words reach his ears, he pushes away as though they were poison._ _

_ _

_ _He’s well-versed enough in manipulation himself to see through to the intentions lying underneath, prides himself, even, on his ability to distinguish truth from falsehood. Claude is confident he can see beneath the masks of almost all he meets, even if it’s only the barest glimpse. His titles are, after all, well-earned._ _

_ _

_ _But when a mere training mission spirals into disaster, and Claude, Edelgard, and Dimitri find themselves pleading for assistance from a band of mercenaries, Claude is presented with what will be the greatest mystery of his life._ _

_ _

_ _Byleth Eisner._ _

_ _

_ _Blue eyes, blue hair, and a distinct lack of emotion, even as she cuts down bandit after bandit, sprinting across the battlefield like a soul possessed._ _

_ _

_ _The woman’s movements are quick, self-assured, her strikes light enough that she sidesteps her opponents counterstrikes with ease, but with enough force behind them that nearly every wound she gives is fatal. Taken alongside her blank, even expression, and her complete disregard for the blood streaked across her face and hair, something like this is well within the usual for her._ _

_ _

_ _Ashen Demon indeed, he thinks when he hears the name whispered among the mercenaries, as he watches her block for Edelgard, and nearly put a sword through the bandit leader’s throat._ _

_ _

_ _And he might have let her go, let all thoughts of this stoic mercenary slip from his mind, had it not been for the slightest shiver that passes through reality as the woman blocks and returns the strike, like ripples in a pond, Byleth at its epicenter as it washes over all._ _

_ _

_ _Claude may not be not religious, but as the strange pulse of energy flows past, he can’t help but think of the church’s whispers of the divine. He knows what magic feels like, has cupped it in the palm of his hand—but this?_ _

_ _

_ _This is something beyond it._ _

_ _

_ _Something like the crest that had burned in his blood when he first held Failnaught, the faintest breath of power that lingers over Garreg Mach, the pulse of energy that emanates from the Holy Tomb, drawing believers ever closer in the hopes of communing with the goddess._ _

_ _

_ _There is something greater to this woman than even her prowess with the sword, than the spells she casts with nimble fingers._ _

_ _

_ _And Claude, for all his curiosity, must find out what._ _

_ _


	2. Chapter 2

_ _——_ _

_ _

_ _Byleth becoming the teacher for the Golden Deer is a stroke of luck Claude hadn’t even dared to hope for. Though her teaching skills are likely to be questionable, given her background and stoic, silent approach to any interaction, the opportunity to observe her is more than worth the sacrifice. After all, the Golden Deer are devoted students, and will flourish even without an expert teacher’s guidance._ _

_ _

_ _Or at least, so Claude hopes. Lorenz’s motivation can be—questionable, at times, but given the offhand mention that “learning is a noble’s responsibility,” he focuses quickly on the task at hand. Though cautious to maintain a certain air of lighthearted and unpracticed ease, Claude can hardly demand something from his classmates that he’s unwilling to give himself. In class, he listens with the utmost attention, takes notes on history, weapons classes, and siege tactics, and approaches the professor after class with any questions that come to mind, careful never to seem overly invested in the coursework._ _

_ _

_ _Hard work, no matter how tentatively done, yields results—and it’s enough to earn Claude a new title, his first from Byleth, at the end of a training session._ _

_ _

_ _Hefting the axe over her shoulder, the mercenary-turned-professor straightens, features smooth and blank even as she says, “Well done, Claude. You seem to be quite a natural with an axe.”_ _

_ _

_ _Claude pauses mid-swing, axe stopping inches shy of the training dummy. From anyone else, he would take the words as lip-service, little more than too-sweet flattery in hopes of cozying up to the Riegan heir._ _

_ _

_ _But this is Byleth._ _

_ _

_ _Byleth, who knew nothing of the church only days before, who has been taught little of the three kingdom’s politics and cares for it even less. And when it comes to Byleth, even for all his scrutiny, even in his search for the divine spark that lies just beyond his reach, Claude has been hard-pressed to find anything beyond an almost unnerving sincerity._ _

_ _

_ _“All thanks to your teaching,” he says, drawing back from the dummy and copying her stance. Lips curling up in a lopsided grin, he adds, “Don’t suppose you have the time to show me just a few more tricks before the mock battle?”_ _

_ _

_ _With his previous sessions having yielded no results on that strange, divine-like power, Claude has few doubts that another session, regardless of length, will prove just as useless. And were it solely for the sake of investigation, it would be a rather disappointing waste of time—but Byleth, for all his doubts, has proven herself a competent professor. Her approach to the students, though distant, is effective—already the Golden Deer have shown growth in incredible leaps and bounds, with even Marianne, with all her self-doubts, achieving a new class._ _

_ _

_ _The professor gives the slightest shake of her head. “Lysithea requested more training on Reason before the fight, Leonie was hoping to speak of Jeralt over lunch, Ignatz wants instruction on shooting in difficult conditions this evening, Raphael was hoping to practice endurance tomorrow morning—”_ _

_ _

_ _Competent professor indeed. It was a wonder the woman didn’t simply keel over._ _

_ _

_ _Claude laughs, shaking his head. “Sounds like you have a full schedule then.”_ _

_ _

_ _Byleth nods, showing neither excitement nor exhaustion at the prospect._ _

_ _

_ _Hefting his axe onto his shoulder, he flashes her one last smile. “Well, good luck, Teach. I’m looking forward to using some of these new moves in the mock battle—unless, of course, our opponents were to come down with a mysterious case of food poisoning…”_ _

_ _

_ _ _“Claude.”___ _ _

_ _ _ _

_ _ _“Kidding, kidding.”_ _ _

_ _ _ _

_ _ _——_ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not entirely sure what this fic is, but fingers crossed it'll at least be fun to read :D
> 
> Comments and kudos make me so happy (and would definitely help me determine whether this is coherent or not :'D), and I always comment back on each message!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! ^^


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